It’s been a while since Claudia and I actually sat down to bake together, which is fairly contradictory to my actual goal of this blog. Therefore, we made it our mission to set some time aside and get our bake on this past weekend. We also had Christmas movies on in the background. (more…)
Butter Tarts
I watched my first Christmas movie of the season today. How the Grinch Stole Christmas was on TV this afternoon. Not the original animated one, but the Jim Carrey/Ron Howard reboot. I’ve actually never seen the original. Or A Christmas Story. I may have seen It’s a Wonderful Life once…but I can’t be 100% sure. Please don’t judge me. As a kid, I grew up watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer during summer vacation – that’s how much I loved that movie. There was really nothing else in my holiday movie repertoire. Well, I guess National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but only because my Dad loved that movie. What are your favourite holiday movies? Feel free to tell me in the comments section!
One thing I am absolutely sure of – I love Claudia’s Butter Tarts at Christmas time! They are seriously delicious. She always makes the dough from scratch, and it’s always flaky and buttery. The filling is sweet and syrupy. I didn’t realize how easy they were to make until Claudia came over a couple weeks ago to show me. I am so glad she did.
Maple Syrup and Walnut Ice Cream
I recently returned from a trip to Montreal, Quebec. It’s a gorgeous city full of culture, history and delicious food. One of my favourite cities in the entire world. I had been to Montreal before but decided to make this latest adventure to the city a culinary experience. We dined at many amazing restaurants recommended by those who have either lived there or have visited and had unbelievable food experiences. Although all the places I dined in were mouthwatering, the one that stood out the most is Au Pied de Cochon. This now is my favourite restaurant of all time. Hands down. The menu is a little intimidating and features plenty of duck, pig and fois gras. Very rich. Very decadent. Very French Canadian. Every dish I had was divine.
I returned and after a few weeks I still couldn’t stop thinking about Au Pied de Cochon and how I wanted to recreate some of the food I devoured. I decided to purchase their cookbook. I haven’t looked back. I figured I’d start with a simpler recipe…something I was more familiar with making. That’s when I selected this decadent Maple Syrup Ice Cream. Not to mention, maple syrup is also a Quebec staple. I adapted this recipe by adding walnuts to create Claudia’s favourite ice cream flavour! I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s sweet, syrupy, creamy and has great texture.
Baked Brie
It’s not everyday that somebody shows up at my door with a big wheel of cheese. Well, last week Claudia did. And she was proud. She had been wanting to make this appetizer since before Christmas. When she showed up at my door that cold Monday evening, her patience had clearly run out. She couldn’t take looking at the wheel of Brie cheese in her fridge anymore. The thought of it expiring before she had an opportunity to feature this recipe on this blog was too much for her to take. Therefore, she showed up and we made this beauty. It’s rich, buttery, cheesy, sweet and sour all at the same time. Did I mention Claudia also brought a Costco-sized box of crackers to go along with the wheel of cheese? She meant business. I couldn’t say no – and I’m glad I didn’t. This appetizer is absolutely delicious and perfect for any company you may be hosting. You can also cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to purchase a huge wheel of Brie cheese and make enough to feed a small army. But then that wouldn’t be as fun! Finally, a special thank you to Claudia’s coworker, Barb, who gave us this recipe. None of this could have been shared without her.
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
The original goal of this blog when it was first conceived was for me to learn and document all the amazing recipes that Claudia had in her cookbook. This blog recently turned 1 year old, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job at showcasing some of her best work. However, every now and then Claudia and I come across some fantastic recipes from others that we feel require some showcasing as well. My boyfriend’s Mom is also an amazing baker. There are countless recipes of hers I would love to get my hands on and feature. However, I’ve been told by her that the only way that will happen is if I marry her son. Fair trade off, right?
This Chocolate Zucchini Cake is one of my boyfriend’s favourite recipes from his Mom. He loves this cake so much that he requests that I bake it for him each year for his birthday. I can’t complain…it’s absolutely delicious. If it wasn’t for Claudia’s beloved Skor Cake, I’d be requesting Chocolate Zucchini Cake for my birthday as well.
Bavarian Cheesecake
My Baba is well known for 3 of her culinary endeavours in our household. #1 – Perogies. #2 – Spaghetti and meatballs. I have no idea where a Ukrainian woman learned how to cook Italian food, but it was amazing. #3 – This Bavarian Cheesecake recipe. It is to die for. I remember every summer when Claudia, my Dad, my brother and I came back from our 3-week stints in Saskatchewan, Baba would have a big batch of spaghetti and meatballs and this dessert to welcome us home. It was so comforting and definitely worth sharing. Apples, cinnamon, cream cheese, crunchy walnuts and my own optional addition – caramel sauce. How can you possibly go wrong with this rich delight? You will win friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, and probably even world wars with this dessert. Trust me, it’s a winner.
Nanaimo Bars
Growing up I never realized two very important things about Claudia’s Nanaimo Bars. Number 1 – they are a classic Canadian dessert. Number 2 – they are delicious! Like a spoiled brat child, I didn’t really care for Nanaimo Bars. I’m fairly certain it was the texture of the coconut. I wasn’t a huge fan. Fun fact: to this day I’m still not a fan of Bounty chocolate bars either! However as I got older and my palate became more sophisticated, I learned to love these Nanaimo Bars in all their glory. To this day, Claudia only makes these beauties for Christmas. I think that is part of the appeal. Sweet, creamy and chocolatey rich, they are definitely a once a year treat that everyone should enjoy.